The Last 12 Days On Earth.

Day 12

In 2017, SpaceX began live-streaming rocket launches. The 12-minute streams were like tiny space adventure movies and you felt like you were part of the mission. Finally, we were moving full speed ahead to the future we had been promised as kids and that space travel for humans beyond the moon was actually going to happen. Of course, the first SpaceX missions where to put satellites into space and to resupply the ISS, but human transport was what we all waited for.

In 2025, a Starship carrying 50 people landed on Mars. The voyage took 90 days. This first group of Martian explorers was comprised of scientists, engineers, and chemists. The world was in awe. What an incredible feat of human ingenuity and courage. It was the only thing that people talked about. Even former flat-earthers were excited! The world had turned its attention away from the petty issues of the day and we were all united in this great space adventure.

Elon told us that it would take at least 40 years to colonize Mars with 1,000,000 humans. That seemed very fast at the time.

We know now it was not near fast enough.

On January 1, 2036, The President announced that a near-Earth asteroid, called Apophis, would collide with our planet. We had all heard of Apophis. We had been told 20 years earlier that it would pass near earth, but that the odds of it striking us were 1:1,000,000. For 19 years we thought we were safe. We knew nothing. Until they let us know everything.

*Apophis was not 1/2 KM wide, as we were told. It was much, much larger.

*In 2004 NASA learned that Apophis was going to pass through the gravitational keyhole and strike earth 32 years later.

*In 2005, SpaceX started working on plans with NASA to send as many humans to Mars as possible before Apophis' impact.

*On April 13, 2036, a 96 km-wide asteroid whose name means "The Un-Creator", will collide with earth.

My name is Travis. My family was not chosen for Martian colonization. I live in a suburb of Kansas City, MO, USA, where the asteroid will most directly hit. I will continue this journal until the end of my time on Earth. Today is April 1, 2036.

April 2, 2036 - 11 Days Until Impact

I can't sleep. Lying in bed, I fell into my new habit of wondering - "if only."

*If only I had applied myself in college I could have become someone. Someone important like a scientist or architect or doctor. Someone important enough that the human race would need me and they would have sent me and my family to Mars.

*If only I would have taken an interest in my father in law's farm - I could have taken over that business, sold the land to Amazon for $100,000 per acre before the great drought, and I could have afforded the $50 Million price tag to buy a Martian ticket.

*If only I could decide if god (God?) was real - if I could make myself believe, and if I could be a good believer, and somehow get to heaven. Then maybe I wouldn't have to worry about the end. Because, in fact, it wouldn't be the end. I think about the after-life a lot. Science can cast doubt on the existence of God. Of course, they also tell us that there are parallel universes and multiverses and that they still don't know what started "everything." Since the truth about Apophis came to light, most people don't really trust NASA anyways. Maybe believing in a deity is my best, my only choice. I just need to choose which one.

I saw the remote lying on the floor and Just for shits I just turned on the TV to see if any more channels were broadcasting. As it's been for the past 2 months, only 1 station is still working - PBS. They're showing reruns of Sesame Street and Mr. Roger's Neighborhood. Sometimes they'll air an episode of Bob Ross painting "happy little trees." If Bob and Fred were alive, I bet they would have sent them to Mars. I'm glad they're on my TV right now though. It makes me feel a little better.

I'm really tired now. Guess I'll try to sleep. My son wakes up early. 2 year-olds don't care about how tired you are, or about asteroids, or about gods.

April 3, 2036 - 10 Days Until Impact

Today was a good day. We took our son to the park. He loves the park. He loves the pond at the center of the park. He loves the fish and frogs in the pond. He loves to throw little rocks at them. He loves crawling up the 4 step gazebo, stretching his arms like an airplane and spinning in circles. Spin..spin..spin - forever if he could. He loves running over the small bridges and jumping over every sidewalk crack. He loves waving at people that walk by, regardless of their interest in him. When dogs walk past, he stands on his tiptoes, reaches his hands up in the air, and growls like a bear as loud as he can. It kills me every time.

He loves to sit down in front of the lifesize bronze statue called "Grandpa." It's an old man wearing overalls, sitting on a tree stump churning ice cream. My son loves that statue. I think it reminds him of my wife's dad.

There wasn't anyone else at the park today besides us. Most days are like that now. I think people are scared to be outside. I think they feel safer in their homes. The asteroid that killed the dinosaurs was 12 KM wide. Apophis is 5 times that size. There will be no escape. Not in homes. Not deep inside a mountain cave. It will strike in Kansas City and most of North America will soon be nothing more than a crater. Oceans will boil. In a moment - everything will be nothing.

"MOOOOOOON!" Leaving the park my boy spotted the moon. It's his favorite thing. He points it out every time he sees it, day or night. He grasps at it like he's desperately trying to touch it. Then he laughs as if the moon made some funny face at him. He does this every time he sees the moon. At the park we can see it best in the evening near the Grandpa statue where there are few trees and a view of the sky is clear.

I wish Apophis would hit the moon first, pushing it towards the earth. Then, on the last day, we could go to the park with our son. We could run the bridges and jump the cracks. We could spin and spin and spin. We could sit down in front of Grandpa and listen to him tell one last story. And then, in our final moment, together we could reach up and touch the moon.

It's happening. It's happening now - 8 days early. The asteroid Apophis is already here. I can see it out of my bedroom window. It's red and orange and black and it has a tail that I cannot see the end of. I am not in awe. I am terrified. This is it. This is the end. Our time has been cut short. I run to my son's room to pick him up out of his bed, but he's not there. I yell for my wife. She replies - "Yes Dear?" "Where are you?" I shout. "Where is our son?" She calmly responds "Honey, he's playing outside. Let's all go outside. We can watch the sunrise together." I swing the patio door open and scan the yard for my son. I can't find him. Now I'm screaming at her " The asteroid is here! We need to be together. WHERE IS HE? WE ONLY HAVE A FEW SECONDS LEFT!" "Turn around sweetie." She points to the dining table. I turn to find my boy sitting in his booster chair, eating bananas and pancakes - his favorites. "It's time for our last meal. Let's sit together." I feel my wife's arm on my shoulder and I'm overcome with sadness and panic. "We're supposed to be at the park! Your parents didn't make it! This isn't how it's supposed to happen! I had it all planned out!" I can't breathe. I sit down at the table. I look out the window and the sky is darkening. The asteroid is blocking out the sun. We only a couple of seconds left. My wife sits down at the table and puts her hand on my son's. "Want more syrup sweet-pea?" My boy nods yes and smiles. He loves maple syrup. It calms me to watch him eat. I take a bite. They are the best pancakes I've ever tasted. I notice my wife isn't eating. "Aren't you hungry?" I ask. "I want donuts." She says. "I think I want donuts." She says again touching my hand. "I really want some donuts." Honey, I want some donuts." She pokes me in the chest. "Travis! I want some donuts!" "Travis! DO YOU WANT SOME DONUTS?" "IF YOU LOVED ME YOU WOULD GET SOME SOME DONUTS!" "NOOOO!" I shout. "I DON'T WANT ANY GODDAMN DONUTS AND I DON'T WANT TO DIE!"

"You're dreaming sweetheart."

I sit up in bed. It's morning. My son is crying. My nightmare scream woke him up. I'm drenched in sweat. I turn to my wife. "I'm sorry." "It's ok." She says. "It was time for him to wake up anyways." "No," I say. "I mean, I'm sorry that I can't save us."

I start crying. "Stop." She sits up and grabs my hand. " I need you to be strong for us." I wipe the tears on the sheets. She hugs me and gets out of bed. A moment later she comes back into the bedroom holding our son. I hop up, force a smile and grab him from her.

"Hey buddy" I whisper. He grabs my ears and buries his forehead into mine and giggles. Now my smile is real. And now the tears are back. "You know what?" I put my arm around my wife and kiss her and then, my boy. "I'm hungry for some donuts. Who wants donuts?" My son raises both arms and hollers " I DO!" "Ok then - let's make some donuts."

April 5, 2036 - 8 Days Until Impact

It's 3am and I just got back home. I'm drunk. You would think with only a few days left, one wouldn't worry about personal space or alone time, or fun - but you would be wrong.

I couldn't sleep. So a little after 11pm I decided to go for a walk. I walked a couple blocks. Then a couple more. I walked towards the old downtown. Then I saw a light. The flickering neon coming from this old strip mall. I had heard about this place. It was on old pool hall. A towny bar. I had never been there. As I approached I started to hear what sounded a little like music....and laughing? I pushed the door open expecting to see a couple of old timers playing cards, but...

THE PLACE WAS PACKED!

I took a step inside. It smelled amazing. But, I couldn't figure out what the smell was. People were dancing, playing pool, darts, and old video games like Golden Tee. Everything in this place was old! I was greeted by a giant of a man whos nametag read "Nick". "Can I get your ID babyface?" asked Nick. "Sure!" I smiled and started to grab the wallet from my pocket. I only had the wallet because it was full of pictures of my son. Nick grabbed my ID and laughed a booming laugh "Jesus Bro - I'm just messing with you!" Nick threw his arms in the air and belted out the words to the song playing "It's The End of The World As We Know It!". Then he threw my ID like a Ninja star across the bar. "Welcome to Nick's Bar, brother!" He slapped my shoulder, smiling sincerely. "This is the last night we'll be open. Have a great time." I nodded and smiled back. "Thanks Nick."

Just a few more feet in, there stood a girl standing behind a livestock feeder full of ice and beer, chomping violently on her gum. "Watcha' drinkin' honey?" I looked closer at the cooler. There was 1 kind of beer - Busch Light. "I guess I'll have a Busch Light" I said with a chuckle. "My ,that's been a popular one tonight." We both laughed. I'm sure she told that joke 500 times tonight, but I appreciated the effort.

I grabbed my tallboy and headed to the bar. I love sitting at the bar. There's something about the TV's, the bottles of booze, the bartenders and the strangers on either side of you. A couple stood up from their seats, made out for a about 90 seconds, then stumbled their way the to the door. I quickly snatched up one of the seats.

"Need a menu buddy?" I always loved how you became someone's buddy when you bellied-up. It was like having an insta-friend. It felt good even if it was an act. "What's the special tonight?" I grinned because I knew there wouldn't be a real special. I assumed there might be some SPAM or bologna on the fryer. The bartender leaned over while drying out a beer mug, raised an eyebrow and asked "How about a Ribeye - On the house?" My god, that was what I was smelling. I haven't had a steak in 2 years - not since the price of beef went up by 1000%. "YES! I definitely want a one! Please!" "You got it buddy." The bartender placed a shot of something down in front of me and him. "What is it?" I asked. "Does it matter?" He replied. "No, it definitely doesn't." We toasted and he left to put in my order. When it came out I just looked at it and smelled it for a couple minutes. It was beautiful. It was a $500 steak, and it was the best meal I can ever remember eating.

I proceeded to have 2 more shots. And 4 more beers. And then 2 more shots. I told jokes and stories with the bartender and with the strangers at the bar. Nobody mentioned the thing that was coming in 8 days. I got my ass kicked in a game of darts by an 80 year old man. I sang songs along with everyone else in the bar. Then, before I knew it, it was closing time. Slowly the crowd exited the old pool hall. I was sad to think that I wouldn't see any of these people ever again. I wondered how many of them had families to go home to like me. I hope they do. I started my walk home.

I walked up to my front door. "Damn, I'm drunk" I whispered to myself. I decided to lie down on the grass to sober up a bit before going inside. One of my favorite things to do with my wife was to see who could find the most satellites in the sky. There are over 15,000 satellites that orbit earth at 18,000 miles per hour. If you look up, and it's dark, you'll likely spot one within a minute or two. I layed on my front lawn for an hour before going inside. It felt good to lay in the grass and look at the stars. They were bright and you easily make out the constellations. Strange thing though. I didn't see a single satellite. I wonder how long they've been gone.

I went inside and laid in bed with a smile on my face, recounting the stories that were shared that night. I think a lot of those people could have been my friends. I wish I could remember even 1 of their names now. Oh right, I remember 1 name - Nick.

April 6, 2036 - 7 Days Until Impact

I didn't get to go to Mars. My wife, my son and I will have a front row seat to the Apocalypse. I spend a lot of my time imaging what my life what be like on Mars. What would I do all day? Would I have a job of some kind? What kind of job could I even do? Aside from those who could afford the $50,000,000 one way ticket, everyone sent to Mars was either a scientist or engineer or doctor. Guess I could be a waiter or bartender or something. What would we do with our son? Are there playgrounds on Mars? Are there daycare providers, or babysitters if I wanted to take my wife on a date? I know these are useless questions, but still, I wonder.

It's been 6 days since my wife's parents left Iowa. Now, there is no doubt that something terrible has happened to them. I have chosen to imagine that they are just stuck somewhere on the interstate with plenty of food and water for the next 7 days. I hope they get to spend their final moments sitting on the hood of their old pickup, listening to a Tom Petty CD, a glass of red wine in hand. I imagine they will be toasting all of the happiness that has been built because they found each-other many years ago. This is what I chose to imagine, though it almost certainly will not be the reality.

I turned on the TV today, but all of the channels are gone. Even PBS is static now. It made me feel panicked. It made the asteroid feel close. I imagined the static was the sound it makes moving through space. How the hell do we have the ability to colonize Mars and NOT STOP A DAMN SPACE ROCK!?? What are they doing on Mars anyway? If they would have kept all the smart people on Earth, maybe we could have come up with a solution! Maybe Earth, and everything I know and love wouldn't be destroyed 100 hours from now!

I've asked myself those questions 100 times a day. The truth is that the smartest people in the world did their best. The human race will survive, only not as Earthlings. If my family had been chosen for Mars colonization, my grand-kids would have been Martians. It's hard for me not to imagine them with little green antennas. I wonder what his name would be. Marvin has a nice ring. This thought makes me happy again.

I almost forgot, for the past 2 nights you can see the northern lights. This is not normal for Kansas City as we are too far south. They are much brighter than I ever expected. Maybe part of Earth's Grand Finale show.

April 7, 2036 - 6 Days Until Impact

People sometimes talk about how knowing the moment you'll die is a wonderful gift. It allows you to tie up any loose ends I suppose. You also get the chance to in style if you so choose. I suppose you could jump off the Grand Canyon just before Apophis' arrival and sing " I did it Myyyy Waaayyyyy" in your best Sinatra croon while giving the planet killer the double-bird. Most people just say that it's nice to be able to make peace with the end. I'm not sure I can do that.

"Help Dad!" My 2 year runs up to me and drops a puzzle on my lap. "Help wiss puzzle!" I look at the familiar toy with its large colorful pieces and the wooden knob attached to each. We have a dozen of these type of puzzles, but this one is the only one he hasn't been able to figure out. I sigh. I know how this game will end - I will calmly explain that the airplanes go on top and the school bus goes on the bottom. He will try to fit the pieces in and 30 seconds later he will knock the stupid puzzle off my lap, run to his bedroom, and pout. I'm just not in the mood for that right now. "Go see if Mommy can help." I point upstairs where my wife is making lunch. He waddles off.

I stand up and look out our front window and see our neighbor seeding his lawn. "HOT DAMN!" I said it so loud I surprised myself and had to duck behind the window quick in case my neighbor heard the chuckle. "Well, I guess he has made his peace with the death" I whisper sarcastically to myself. "Either that or he's in total denial! I mean, what is the point? That grass seed won't even have a chance to poke it's little green head through the dirt before the asteroid obliterates it and everything else on Earth. Can't this guy think of a better way to spend the rest of eternity?"

I walk away from the window and sit back down in my recliner, still thinking about my neighbor. Maybe the fact that he's old has something to do with his acceptance. After all, he's lived a full life. He's retired. He's watched his kids, and then his grand-kids grow up. He's got a sweet convertible and a not-so-sweet minivan. I guess he didn't miss out on anything really.

Me, I feel like I am going to miss out. I'm going to miss out on seeing my son go off to kindergarten, play sports, get married, give me a grandchild. I'm going to miss the family trip we had planned for Germany next year. I'm never going to get to buy a boat. I'm going to miss so much.

I hang my head in my hands for a minute. "Hog damn!" I lift my head and find my son sitting cross-legged, trying to conquer that same puzzle. He heard my mild swear. I walk over and kneel down beside him. "You can't say that buddy!" I lift his chin in an attempt to force eye contact. "Oookay daddy," he says with a half-grin. And then it hit me why my neighbor would try to grow grass in these final days. I stare at my son who's trying to put the bus in upside down. My eyes well up. I realize my self-pity is causing me to "miss out" on the most important gift in my life.

"Hog Damn!" My son throws the puzzle piece in disgust. I pick it up, sit down crossed-legged next to him and kiss his forehead. "We're going to figure out this puzzle buddy." My wife sits down next to us and grins. "Are you really going to try to teach him that puzzle again?" Our boy shoots us his trademark dimpled smile. "Yes." I kiss her, and we stare at our son. "I can't think of a better way to spend the rest of eternity."

April 8, 2036 - 5 Days Until Impact

I remember only 4 calendar events. My wedding day. My son's birthday. September 11. April 7. Today marks the 10 year anniversary of the first human being stepping foot on Mars.

The 90-day voyage to Mars was not broadcast. There were a lot of rumors. Some people believe that only a few of the astronauts survived. Some said nobody survived. Some say that that the entire Mars colonization project was a hoax. Some even believe that 1,000.000 of Earth's most important and richest people were relocated to abandoned limestone mines in Missouri and Kansas. I can tell you that this is not the case. I live in Kansas City. I think I would have noticed a 1 million person migration. Not to mention, why the hell would SpaceX bother to launch 3 rockets a day, every goddamned day, for 10 goddamned years? Each BFR carrying 100 people. Assuming each rocket made it to Mars, there should now be 1,000,000 humans on the red planet - plus or minus any Martian births and deaths.

I wonder where they bury people on Mars? They never told us that.

The NASA/SpaceX joint venture was broadcast live all around the world, on every channel - even QVC. It was, and still is, the most viewed event in history. I remember it so clearly. I was at college. Classes were canceled. Everything was canceled or closed for that matter. Nobody would have shown up for work or school anyway. Every channel, every major website, and app displayed the same image - A drawing of a person in a white spacesuit, planting a tree on red soil. The caption at the top of the image read "Stay tuned Earthlings!"

I remember sitting in our apartment living room with my roommates. Nobody talked. It seemed like we stared at that image for an hour. Then, suddenly, the live feed began.

First an image of the space shuttle with the Martian terrain in the background. Then a few seconds of static. Then a closer shot of the shuttle, and finally, the moment the world had waited for. A lift slowly descended from the spacecraft. On it, a person in a white space suit, standing without movement. The platform stopped on the red dirt. The camera zoomed in on the person on the lift. For a minute, nothing happened. Then movement. The foot on the space suite moved slowly off of the platform, taking the first steps onto the Martian soil. The camera zoomed in closer, now showing just the helmet. We watched the astronaut look left, then right, and then directly back at the camera. I still get chills thinking about those next few minutes. The camera drew in tighter on the helmet as the reflective face shield slid up and away, showing the world the face of the first Martian astronaut, and also the voice.

"My name is Etsuko. I am a Chef from Japan. I am 61 years old" Her English was perfect. We watched without blinking. "I was chosen by my peers at the MarsOne project to be the first human to step foot on Mars." She paused to smile. The camera was zoomed in so close now that you could see a tear roll down her face. "I do not believe that I deserve this greatest of all privileges. However, I will tell you that this has been my dream since I was a very small girl. Since my Father gave me my first telescope, I have looked up and wondered what it would be like to live on another planet."

She paused another moment, shaking her head as if in disbelief. "I know you all want to know what it is like here, on this alien world." She takes a long look to her left again, then back right. "For me, it is more beautiful than in my dreams. I cannot wait to share my adventures with my brothers and sisters of Earth." She looks down and touches a keypad on her wrist. "But, first, we have a very special job to do. Our first mission on our new home planet." She turns around and walks back to the shuttle. A door on the side of the shuttle opens revealing a square plastic container. She takes it out of its compartment and turns back to the camera.

"We have a very exciting experiment to share with our Earth family." She removed the top of the container and we can now see what is inside. It's a plant of some kind. Similar to the drawing we were shown before the live stream began. This is a new form of Nori, or seaweed as it is commonly called. "This plant represents our future on Mars." She sets the container on the red dirt and presses a button. Four robotic arms appear from the sides of the container and quickly dig themselves into the ground, securing the container and the plant within. What looks like A balloon appears over top of the young plant and then the balloon becomes foggy and the plant is no longer visible. "For the next 30 days, you will be able to watch this plant grow, right here, in Martian soil." This is the beginning of our garden.
She smiles again and talks about all the other foods they will be able to grow using this new system. They never told us much about how it worked though - only that it reused 99.99 percent of the water it was given and it could produce edible vegetables in 1/4 the time of a traditional garden on Earth.

We only heard from Etsuko one more time. It was several weeks later. She looked sad, but forced a smile. She told us that the first Nori plant didn't survive, but that they were making some adjustments and were hopeful for future plantings. We now know that they could not get the Nori to grow on Martian soil. They could grow small amounts in labs, but not enough to sustain any substantially sized colony. All of the necessary food and water had to be shipped from Earth along with a new group of Earthlings. Supposedly, there is a now a 20 year supply of freeze-dried food in storage on Mars. I'm not sure what they'll do after that.

In her final comment before signing off that first day, Etsuko said that her goal was to "Open the 1st Sushi Bar on Mars." She seemed so full of hope.

I hope she finds a way to survive.

April 9, 2036 - 4 Days Until Impact

I can't stop thinking about Numbers and time. I know I should be concentrating on my family, but the numbers keep creeping in. They update in my mind as my watch chimes to indicate a new hour.

8,407,120 - Miles away the asteroid is from us right now.

110,620 - MPH that Apophis is traveling through space. 144x the speed of sound. Sights locked on our planet.

76 - Hours before the asteroid reaches Earth - and all life is lost.

18 - Years on the unopened bottle of scotch in the closet. I think tonight I'll blow the dust off.

11 - Age I was when I first peered through a telescope. Space was a friend back then. A muse.

8 - Slices of bread left in the cabinet. Enough for 4 PB&J's. 1 Per day - Perfect.

5 - Times larger, Aphophis is, than the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs.

3 - Nights I'll get to sing my son to sleep. The same James Taylor song my dad sang to me.

"Well the sun is surely sinking down
But the moon is slowly rising
So this old world must still be spinning 'round
And I still love you"

75 - Hours left.

April 10, 2036 - 3 Days Until Impact

I decided I wanted to try to have a day where I did everything perfectly. I often wondered how much more I could have accomplished if I always just did the "right thing" instead of the "easy thing." I've never been perfect for an entire hour of my life, much less an entire day, but I figured what the hell - it's now or never.

5: 30 am - I woke up with the alarm. My head ached like it usually does in the morning, but I jumped out of bed and exclaimed: "TODAY IS GOING TO BE A GREAT DAY!". My wife rolled over, peered at me through squinted eyes and whispered: "For god's sake Travis, please go be perfect somewhere else."

I left the bedroom and headed straight to the basement. I removed the piles of clothes and boxes off of the treadmill and proceeded to run 1 mile as hard as I could. I thought I was going to die. I caught my breath and did 20 push-ups then 20 sit-ups. Again, I was near the brink of death. 30 minutes into my "perfect day" and I was ready to quit.

"NOT YET" I whispered to myself. A light bulb flickers above me and then goes dark. My wife hates having to tell me to fix those things - it usually takes me 5 reminders before I get it done. I started changing the bulb and thought - "If she doesn't know it went out, I won't get any credit!" I decided to finish the job.

6:30 am - I headed for the kitchen for breakfast. I don't like breakfast. I'd rather eat dinner for breakfast. But, you're supposed to eat breakfast so I cracked 2 eggs, fried them and ate them with a frozen waffle and maple syrup. Boring. Gimme a bacon cheeseburger ANY-DAY!

7:00 am - I guess the standard "perfect day" would involve driving to work while listening to self-help books, but since I don't work anymore, I grabbed a book off my shelf and committed to reading 3 chapters. It was The Hobbit. It was yellow and dusty and the pages were frail. I hadn't read that book in 20 years, It only took the first page for me to fall back in love with the Shire. I reluctantly put the book down after the third chapter. I should have read more books.

7:30 am - My son woke up. I changed his diaper then made him breakfast. He's magical in the morning. He talks and talks and only some of it makes sense. I think he's recalling his dreams. I decided a "perfect Dad" would use breakfast time to talk about the day to come. I ask him what he wants to do today. He says what he always says "play outside!". It hits me that we only have 2 more of these breakfasts together. He has no idea. I'm so happy it's that way.

That was the end of my perfect day.

8:00 am - "OH MY GOD!" My wife shouts from the living room. I dart from the dining table and find her standing 2 feet from the television. It's turned on. For the first time in days, It's not just static. It's a woman. She's in a white space suit and helmet. She's holding a flower or some kind of plant. She's talking but there is no sound. "I know who it is," I whisper to myself. It's Etsuko. We haven't seen her in nearly 10 years. 'OH MY GOD!" The words just fly out of my mouth. "This isn't an old video". I look to at wife. She stays fixed on Etsuko but nods in confirmation. "Look at the date." She whispers. I find the time stamp in the bottom right corner of the screen. It reads December 10, 2034. "This video is 2 years old," I say, slowly shaking my head in disbelief. "I was going to watch our wedding video, and this just... came on," my wife says calmly. I grab my wife's hand. She squeezes tightly.

I grabbed the remote and turn the volume to max. No sound. I study Etsuko's face. "She must be in her seventies by now," I say to my wife. Etsuko smiles while she talks, but something is clearly wrong. The lack of audio makes her expressions seem stronger. Every few seconds she glances to her left as if looking for her next instruction. She holds the potted plant up in front of her face, revealing the familiar symbol we saw the day she became the first human to step foot on Mars. A minute passes before she lowers the plant and her face is again visible. She's not smiling anymore. "She's crying," my wife says, turning to me as if I can provide an explanation. I just shake my head and shrug. We look back at Etsuko. For the next 30 seconds, she doesn't say anything more. She just stands there, cradling the plant. Tears rolling down her face. "I think they forgot to turn off the camera," I say to my wife. We continue to watch, unblinking as Etsuko walks out of the frame, revealing the red planet behind her. The feed continued for just a few more seconds, but before it ended my wife points to the bottom of the screen and asks "What the hell is that?" We were so focused on Etsuko that I hadn't notice the scrolling text at the bottom of the screen. The text appeared to be a short sentence. It rolled by in several languages. None we understood. Then the end of the message appeared. It was in English. 3 words.

...SEND THE BOMB.

April 11, 2036 - 2 Days Until Impact

I'm lying in bed. I'm exhausted. I couldn't sleep last night after watching the video feed from Mars. My wife and I sat in the living room flipping through the TV channels for hours, desperately hoping that another video feed would appear. Nothing. We moved to the basement TV and then to the bedroom. We clicked through hundreds of channels. All static.

My wife fell asleep on the couch around midnight, watching me cycle the channels. I was wide awake. My brain was on fire with questions. Was it just coincidence that the Mars feed appeared at the exact moment we turned on the TV yesterday? How long had the video been playing before we turned it on? Why was it from 2 years ago? Who was Etsuko looking at in the video? Why was she crying? And of course, why was there text scrolling along the bottom of the screen that read "SEND THE BOMB?" What "BOMB" are they talking about? Where is it supposed to be sent? I tried to get some sleep, but I couldn't quiet my mind. I couldn't stop searching for more footage. I continued through the night and into the morning.

My son woke up at 7:00 am. I grabbed him out of bed and made him breakfast and sent him to play with his toys. I should have been spending time with my family, but I kept trying to find more footage. I thought, "maybe there is more footage that we missed. Maybe the humans on Mars are in some grave danger. Maybe there is other news that we need. Maybe the asteroid isn't going to hit Earth!" I checked all the other devices in the house. Phones, tablets, laptops. Nothing worked. The internet was still down.

"Travis, let it go." My wife woke up from the couch, picked up our son and sat down next to me. "We need to spend these last few hours thinking about each other." She grabbed my hand. I looked away from the TV, set down the remote, put my head down and cried. "I'm sorry." I sobbed. "I guess I was hoping there was something more to be seen. Maybe they would tell us they stopped the asteroid. Maybe they would tell us it was smaller than expected. Maybe they would tell us it was going to land in Antarctica instead of Kansas City." A tear streamed down my face as I pulled my wife and son in for a group hug. "We need to be strong for each other now." She calmly said. "We need to be sure our son's last 2 days are filled with happiness." She was right. "I'm sorry," I said wiping the tears from my cheek. I picked up my son and held him at eye-level. "No more tears buddy." He gave me a concerned look. "Nothing but laughs and smiles until our time is up." I kissed his cheek and he shot me a grin.

I picked up the remote to turn off the TV. "Let's turn this static off and forget about it. I looked at my wife and smiled. "It doesn't matter anyway." I held my gaze on my wife and pointed the remote at the TV behind me. "Stop" she whispered. Her eyes were wide. "It's back on." I turned slowly back to the TV. There was indeed something on it once again. This time, however, it wasn't Etsuko. It wasn't Mars. It was a picture map of our solar system, with a SpaceX logo in the top-left corner of the screen. All the planets were labeled, but there was no other text. We stared at the motionless map for what seemed like minutes. Then, in the top-right corner of the screen, a number appeared: "T - 39:00:00" It was a countdown clock, just like the one used in all the SpaceX rocket launches. A few seconds later, the imaged zoomed to the point that only Earth, the moon, and Mars could be seen. Suddenly, an additional object appeared halfway between Mars and Earth. Next, a number was placed above the object "4,353,180." And finally, below the object, a name appeared in bold, capital letters - APOPHIS.

"No!" My wife caught me off guard with her cry. I closed my eyes for a moment, reached out my hand to hold hers, and again pulled my family in tight. We turned back toward the TV, staring at the map and the unchanging numbers for another minute. Then I looked back at my wife and whispered: "If these numbers don't change, maybe that means they stopped the asteroid." She looked up and me and forced a grin. "Maybe" she replied with a half cry, half laugh. That hopeful moment lasted only a few seconds. My eyes again welled as we watched the timer tick to "T - 38:59:59". At the same time, the number above APOPHIS started shrinking. It represented the distance the asteroid was from Earth. That number moved quickly. It was very hard to watch. The asteroid was still alive and still headed for us.
"Turn it off." My wife grabbed the remote, pushed the power button and tossed it on the couch. She looked out the window. "It's a nice day! We shouldn't waste it inside," she said, grabbing our son. "Let's go to the park!"

We spent the rest of the day playing at the park, grilling hot dogs, and looking at family photo books. We put our son to sleep and my wife went to bed shortly after. I stayed up to pick up his toys and the photo-books. Under one of the books was the TV remote. I knew I shouldn't turn it on, but I couldn't help myself. I pressed the power button. The map appeared. I took a long look at the top-right corner of the screen before turning it off. I dropped the remote and headed for bed. How can I sleep with that number burned into my brain?

"T-26:38:32"

April 12, 2036 - 18 Hours Until Impact

I finally slept last night - thank god. I woke to the sound of my neighbor mowing his lawn. I chuckled under my breath and uttered to myself "good for you old man." I rubbed my eyes and then looked to my left. My wife was already out of bed. I got up and walked past my son's room. He was out of bed too. I could hear the sound of dishes clanking. I walked into the kitchen and found my wife working vigorously on some kind of dish. My son was sitting on the counter next to her. "Hi, Daddy! I'm helping!" he exclaimed proudly. My wife disconnected one of the beaters she was using to mix a batter and gave it to him. He licked it clean. "Good job buddy," I told him and followed up with a forehead kiss.

"What's all this?" I asked my wife and gestured toward the casserole dish. "Well, this is for you," she said while moving our son from the counter to the floor. "Why me?" I asked with a half grin. She placed the dish full of batter into the oven, closed it and washed her hands. "It's part of your Father's Day gift" she looked over her shoulder from the sink. "But, Father's Day isn't until June," I replied and shot her a confused look. "Have a seat honey," my wife said while pulling a chair back from the dining table. "We won't be here for Father's Day, so Today is your day, and we have a couple of surprises for you." I sat down, shook my head and smiled. Leave it to my wife to use her last day on Earth to celebrate me, her very undeserving husband. "I don't have a Mother's Day gift for you, sweetie. I'm sorry." She just smiled and winked and said "I know that. It's Okay." I stood up and gave her a hug. "You're the best," I said to her. "I know that too," she said with a grin.

I felt a little hand on my leg and I turned to see my son holding a piece of paper. "Here'go Daddy. I Laa You." I picked him up and sat him on my lap. "What do we have here?" I asked him loud enough so Mommy could hear it and answer the question. "It's a collage of some of our sons best times with you." My eyes instantly flooded. I had to wipe them so I could focus on the images. My finger scrolled through the images as I recounted the memories silently. The first picture was my son's birth -one of the proudest days of my life. Next picture was his 1st birthday. There was a terrible ice storm that day and 20 family members got stuck at our house. Then there was a picture of my son and me at the Grandpa statue at the park - one of our favorite places. There was a picture of him holding onto my finger while trying to learn to walk. The last picture was my favorite though. It was me, my son, and my wife, all laying in our bed on a Saturday morning squished together, his tiny arms stretched out in an effort to pull me and his Mom in closer. The caption below the pic reflected the words our son said that morning for the first time - "GROUP HUG!"

"I love it. Thank you both." I wiped my eyes once more as my wife brought my favorite dessert to the table - Strawberry Cheesecake. We all sat down and started to eat. It was the best honorary Father's Day I could ever ask for. Unfortunately, it only lasted a few more minutes.

BANG! BANG! BANG! My wife stood to her feet, glaring at the window at the front of the house where the noise came from. "Those sounded like gunshots," she said nervously. I nodded in agreement. "Yes, and they were close." The unmistakable sound of a woman's terrified scream followed. It was straight out of a horror movie. "Daddy?" my son reached out to me and I hugged him. BANG! BANG! BANG! More gunshots. "HELP! HELP! OH MY GOD, PLEASE HELP!" Then, another scream. Then a single gunshot. Then silence.

I jumped to my feet and handed our son to my wife. "Stay here," I said to my wife, and I darted to the window. I opened the blinds just enough to see 2 men standing over a pair of lifeless bodies. The bodies were my next door neighbor and his wife. They laid beside each other on the sidewalk, blood surrounding their heads. "They killed them." I looked back at my wife, holding our son with her hand over his eyes as if to protect him from my words. I turned back to the window and gently closed the gap in the blinds as to not draw attention. I tiptoed to my wife. "He was mowing his lawn, and they shot him. Then they shot her." I shook my head. I knew what was happening. Right after the news broke that Apophis would hit Earth, the Kansas City nightly news was flooded with stories of random murder inside the city. People were getting killed in their homes. There was really no law anymore, so anyone with an urge to kill or a reason to murder could act that out with no repercussions. I never expected this to happen in our quiet suburb, however. Not even at the end of the world.

"Travis?" I looked at my wife. She was terrified and so was my son. "What should we do?" she said softly. They needed me to be strong. I pretended to be as I pulled them in close and moved us to the hallway, out of sight of the windows. We stayed there, silent and still. After 5 minutes, we thought we were in the clear.

BANG! BANG! BANG!
This time the noise wasn't gunshots. Someone was beating on our front door. I grabbed my wife by the face and looked her in the eyes. She was shaking. "Take him and lock yourselves in the basement" My wife shook her head no. She started crying. "DO IT!" I yelled while nudging her down the stairs. I scared her, but I needed them to move quickly. "It'll be okay," I told her. She stopped at the landing and we kissed. Then I kissed my son. "I'll be right there. Don't open the door unless it's me. " She nodded and they disappeared into the basement.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

More beating on the door and louder this time. I opened the coat closet and grabbed my Louisville Slugger. My hands were shaking so bad I could barely grip the bat. I tried to look through peephole in the door but it was too dirty. I could make out 2 bodies, but no detail. I cocked the back with the bat. I've never been in a fight, but I was ready to kill to protect my family.

BANG! BANG! BANG!...."TRAVIS, OPEN THE GOD DAMNED DOOR!" I knew that voice. I thought, "it couldn't be." I slowly opened the door just enough to see the faces of the 2 people. People I thought I would never see again. I was overcome with emotion. I dropped the bat and turned my head toward the basement, shouting to my wife as tears rolled down my face. "It's OK! Come Upstairs! Your Parents Are Here! YOUR PARENTS ARE ALIVE!

9 Hours Until Impact.

8 Hours Until Impact
"What took you so long? Where have you been? Are you okay? Why didn't you just stay home?"

My wife's father had barely one foot in the front door, but I couldn't wait any longer to ask questions. I paused, stepped outside and hugged him and my mother-in-law then grabbed the bag she was carrying and nudged them in the door. "Come in- Come in"

My wife walked up the from the basement with my son. She stopped halfway up the stairs when she saw her parents, fell to her knees and wept. "Oh my God...thank you..thank you.."

"Grandma! Grandpa! My wife set our son down and he ran up the stairs and hugged each of their legs. Grandma bent to her knees to meet him. They both cried. I cried. These were 2 of my son's favorite people. I was so happy that we would all be together at the end of all things.

"Jesus, can I get you a drink, or some food, or something? " I asked my Father in Law, ushering him into the living room. They looked hungry and completely worn out. He put his hands on my shoulders. "Son," he called me that sometimes, " we don't have any time to stay." My wife stepped up to her Dad "Dad, What the hell are you talking about?" He shot her a half-smile and replied "We need to get to the airport. And, we need to leave now!" My wife shook her head in disagreement. "What are you talking about Dad? Why would go to the airport?" He handed our son to my wife, told us to "sit down and shut up", and then proceeded to tell us why they were really here - why they really made this trip.

"Ten years ago, your mother and I sold the farm to Amazon. We sold all of it." He grabbed his wife's hand and continued on. "We didn't need the money, but the price of land was so high we decided to sell." My wife's Mom grabbed my wife's hand and said: "Sweetie, we used the money to buy seats on a rocket to Mars, and it leaves today." She smiled and continued "We made enough money from the farms so that we can all go, but we have to leave now." My mouth was wide open. I could feel my heart in my throat. My father-in-law stood up. "We have the tickets in the truck. Now let's go. They will have everything you need for you and your son on the ship. It leaves in 1 hour"

The airport was only 10 minutes away. We piled into the truck and left our house. My father-in-law tore out of the driveway so fast I didn't even think to look out the window to see my neighbors who had been shot just minutes before. I guess that's for the best.

As we approached the airport my mind was racing. The asteroid would hit Earth just 6 hours from now and everything on our planet would be lost. Were we really going to be getting on board a rocket? Were we really going to be headed to Mars? Is all of this really happening? Are we really going to live to see another day?

We reached the airport in 30 mins. We had to get to the SpaceX terminal. It was easy to find due to the 326ft Rocket poking out the top of the airport skyline. My father-in-law pulled his truck directly up to the SpaceX terminal. We drove through a clearing and the Starship came into full view. It was a mountain, both terrifying and beautiful. He stopped the truck when a man with a red wand stepped in front and then came around to his window. He appeared to be some kind of solider. My father-in-law handed the soldier a yellow plastic card. The soldier told us to park here and then quickly move to the elevator. "LET'S GO!!" We jumped out of the truck and followed the soldier about 200 yards to an escalator, and then inside. "You just made it," the man said to my father-in-law. "I know" he replied as he kissed his wife on the forehead. The 2 smiled at each other. I looked at my wife who was holding our son. She appeared emotionless. She was in shock. The man with the wand pressed a button on the elevator and we started to ascend. "You know what you're doing right?" the soldier shot a concerned look to my father-in-law. My father-in-law nodded in affirmation. "Yes."

The elevator reached the top and the door opened. We quickly moved across the 300ft high bridge until we were met by another soldier guarding the entrance to the rocket. The first soldier handed the yellow plastic card to the guard. The guard picked up a radio and read numbers off of the card. A moment later the door to the rocket opened. "Hurry up, get in!" The guard commanded us to board. We all stood outside the door to the rocket for a moment. "Travis, I need to take the women and your son in first to get them checked in " "Okay," I said. I moved out of the way. My son, my wife and her parents walked onto the ship and disappeared from sight as the door closed. .

5 minutes went by. Then suddenly, the door to the rocket reopened and both my wife's parents walked back onto the bridge. I looked at my Mother-in-law and asked: "What are you doing?" Then I looked at my Father-in-law and asked: "why isn't she on the ship?" They both started walking to me. Their eyes were red. They had been crying. My stomach dropped as my Mother-in-law hugged me and told me she loved me. I was shaking. I couldn't feel my legs. "Gotta Go!" I could see the soldier with the red wand, giving it a come-hither wave. My Father-in-law put his hands on my shoulders and said: "Travis, for a long time I have thought of you as my son." I was paralyzed. I tried to talk, but nothing came out. "Take care of my daughter. Take care of my grandson." He paused to wipe his own tears. I'd never seen him cry. "There is an important job to do, and I can't do it. It has to be you." He patted my shoulders the way a coach would. Then he reached into his pocket and took out a small white container about the size of a wedding ring box. "Keep this close to you at all times Travis." I glanced down at the box as he placed it into my hand. It was plain, but it had a small digital display on it and there was a symbol etched into it that seemed familiar. "We have to go know, son." I looked up and met his eyes. "We love you and we're proud of you. I hugged him. "Go on now. Your family needs you."

I stood there, still paralyzed while the guard ushered my wife's parents back to the elevator. They slowly waved as the door closed on the lift. "Sir, you need to board now!" The guard grabbed my arm and pulled me inside the rocket door. It immediately closed and made a loud hissing noise. Aman inside dressed as a flight attendant greeted me. "Hello Travis, your family is waiting for you. Please follow me." I followed the man down a corridor. "Now, before we go any further, I just want you to know that we were only following orders." I looked the attendant in the face and just shook my head. "Where's my wife?" the words finally came out of my mouth. He gestured to a black door a few feet ahead. "She's right through this door sir. So is your son." I nodded. "Please stay calm sir." The door opened. "We had to sedate your wife and your son. They were simply too upset. I assure you they are fine - just sleeping peacefully." I didn't turn to acknowledge the man. There was my wife. She was secured to the seat and unconscious or sleeping. My son was in the seat next to her, secured and also sleeping. He was seated in something that resembled a toddler's car seat. There was a single additional empty seat. The attendant pointed to it "That one is for you, sir." I could feel my blood boiling. I looked at him, clenched my fist, pulled back my arm and started to swing when suddenly a surge of pressure on my neck and I was out cold.

"30,29, 28,"... I woke up to woman's voice announcing a countdown. I was secured to the seat. I looked to my left and saw that my wife was also awake. She said loudly over the countdown "Travis, they only had enough money for 3 tickets." She was crying. I nodded as the engines began to fire up. The vibration shook the small white box from my pocket and it fell to the floor. I reached down to pick it up and that's when it hit me. The symbol on the box was the same as the plant that Etsuko was holding. What the hell does that mean?

"20,19,18"... The noise level made it hard to hear. I looked over at my wife, stretched my hand to meet hers. Our fingers just touched over our sleeping son. I shouted over the engine noise "I'm so sorry! ...I'm so so sorry sweetheart!"

"10,9,8"... I remembered what my wife's Father has asked me to do out there on the bridge - "Take care of my family" As the engine roared louder, nothing else could be heard. I looked my wife in eyes and confidently mouthed the words "I. LOVE. YOU."

This was my last day on Earth.

3.2.1.....LIFTOFF!

April 13, 2036

My mouth is dry. I just woke up. I don't know how long I was out. I must have fallen unconscious shortly after take off. It was so rough that I don't know if I passed out because of the turbulence or if someone tranquilized me again. I looked over at my wife and son. They were sleeping.

I scanned the room around me. There wasn't much to see. It was a small enclosed area, maybe 10'x20'. There was a door in front of us, and a door behind us. There was 3 windows to the left and 3 to the right. They were all blocked and we couldn't see out. There was a few blinking lights and gauges that I couldn't make out and some overhead storage compartments. The attendant was still here. Standing, militant, at the front of the room. He noticed I had woke up. He smiled lightly. "Hello sir. Please don't worry. You and your family are in good hands. We'll be joining the rest of the Mars colony in just 12 days. Until then, please make yourself at home." I shook my head and rubbed my eyes, trying to wake up. I thought to myself "did he say just 12 days? No, that can't be right." He grabbed something from on of the overhead compartments and then walked over to me. Again, he smiled. "A drink, sir." He handed me 2 bottles of water and a carton of milk. "Looks like your family is waking up, sir." He smiled again "No doubt, they'll be thirsty too." I took the drinks and mumbled "Thanks." He nodded and walked back to the front of the room.

I looked over at my wife. She had removed our son from his car seat device and sat him in her lap. "Hi Daddy" my son said while yawning and rubbing his eyes. "Hi buddy" I replied with a grin. "You want some milk?" He nodded excitedly. I opened the milk and gave it to him. He quickly finished the carton. My wife took one of the waters and downed it. "My God I was thirsty." I shook my head in agreement. "Yeah" I said, "must be those knock-out drugs they gave us." I could tell my wife was worried. She kept smelling my son's hair. That's what she does when she's anxious. "It's going to be okay" i told her, and reached out to hold her hand. She forced a half smile and smelled his hair again.

"Something for your child." The man grabbed something else from the storage area and handed it to my wife. It was an old fashioned drawing toy called an Etch A Sketch. "It's still a long journey" the attendant said. "This should help keep him busy."

"DING, DING, DING" An alert sounded in the room. The window shades started to open.

The attendant gestured to one of the windows and told us to look to our left. We did. There was our blue planet. It appeared twice the size of a full moon from Earth. It was more beautiful that I ever imagined. It felt surreal. I looked at my wife. Her eyes were wide. "How could God let our planet die?" I grabbed her hand. "I can't pretend to know why this is happening." I kissed her cheek. "I'm just thankful that I have more time with you." She shot me a tiny grin. "Me too." We turned back to take in the view. We stared at Earth for about a couple minutes. It was mesmerizing.

"DING, DING, DING" The shades quickly closed, blocking out view. "What the hell?" I said to my wife as if she could tell me why. The attendent walked by on his way to the front. I grabbed his arm. "Hey! Why did the shut the windows?" He stopped, bend down and looked at me with empathy and replied in a concerend tone "Sir, you really don't want to keep watching." He paused momentarily then leaned in closer so only I could hear him whisper. "It's happening now."

As he stood up and started to walk away I noticed a small video display on wall towards the front of the room. It showed a familiar picture. It was a map. The same map we'd seen on our TV at home just 3 days before. There was Earth, the Moon, and Mars. And now, located an inch from the Earth was that dot, moving at 118,000 MPH, labled :"Apophis". The SpaceX logo was again in the top-left corner of the screen, and in the top-right corver, the timer. "T-00:01:52"

"Oh my God. I turned to my wife. It's almost time!"
The attendent was standing 10 feet away at the front of the room. I stood up and said to him, "Hey! I want to watch it happen!. I pointed to the windows. Open these, NOW!" My wife grabbed my arm and tried to pull me back down into my seat. I bend down quickly and said to her "You don't have to watch honey, but I need to see it with my own eyes. I don't know why, but I just need to see it!" The attendant radioed someone, the turned back towards me. "Sir, we really cannot do that. Please relax."

I sat there for another moment, then glanced back up at the timer. "T-00:00:49" I had to see this happen, but how do I get them to open the window gaurds? Then, I recalled the words of my father-in-law on the bridge before the left us. He said that there was something important that I had to do, but what the hell did that mean?

I took a shot. I stood back up took a step toward the attendent and held the little white box out in front of me, showing it to him. "I'm on this rocket for a reason, and I'm guessing you know what that reason is." Now open the damn windows, NOW! The attendant's eyes opened wide. He again picked up his radio, but we couldn't hear what he was saying. "DING, DING, DING" The window shades opened. My wife and I stood up and huddled around one of them.

The giant asteroid was too small to see, relative to the Earth's size, and it was travelling too fast. "DING, DING, DING" I jumped at the sign of timer. It dinged as the final seconds ticked away "T-00:00:03, :02, 01. As I watched the timer go to zero, a bright yellow-white filled up my peripheral vision. I turned to watch the event. Earth's clouds parted. The bright white light from the impact remained for a minute, and then dimmed to fire orange. The fire was spreading. It was done.

I stood motionless. Tears fell from my unblinking eyes. From our perspective it didn't look like much. It didn't look like the apocalypse from the movies. From up here, the impact seemed almost uneventful. It was hard to believe that everyone we loved was now gone. We continued to stare out the window.

"Are you satisfied?" The attendant had walked up and stood next to me. He shook his head like a disappointed parent. He motioned to my wife. I looked at her. She was trembling. I hugged her. Over her shoulder I spotted my son, sitting in his seat. He was playing with the Etch A Sketch. He was frustrated that he couldn't figure out how clear his drawing. I looked back out the window. Now, most of the entire pale blue dot was colored orange with fire. "Close the windows," I said to the attendant or whoever was listening. I looked back at my wife. She nodded in agreement. I wiped her tears and walked over to my son. I knelt down and kissed his forehead. "DING, DING, DING" We watched the shades cover the windows once again.

"Help, Daddy?" My son handed me the toy. "Sure, buddy." I shook the toy to clear it. The strange parallel sent a chill through my body as the final shade closed and I caught one last glimpse of the burning Earth. As I wiped clean the content of my son's creation with such ease, I thought, if God does exist, this must be how he feels right now.

April 14, 2036

By now, all life on Earth is gone. There are limestone caves in Kansas, where I am from. It was said that in the event of a nuclear war, these caves could safely house tens of thousands of people for many years until it was safe to surface again. If anyone was in those caves when the asteroid hit, they are dead now too. They might have been able to survive a smaller strike, but Aphophis was 5 times bigger than the one that killed off the dinosaurs. There was simply no escape. No where to hide.

"Look Daddy!" My son proudly passes his Etch-a-Sketch to me. It's nothing but a couple of random lines, but I kiss his head and say "Great job buddy!" I passed the toy back to him and he continued his drawing.

I lookup to the display on the wall. There is nothing on it except for the time which now reads 7:59AM. I stare at it for a few seconds waiting for something else to appear. "DING, DING" The door to the front opens and in walks the attendant. "Good morning" he says with a sincere smile. "I have brought you breakfast. This morning we have pancakes." He leans over to display the tray with 3 plates, each with 3 large pancakes on them, complete with butter and maple syrup. "PANCAKES!" My son shouts and claps his hands. Pancakes are his favorite.

I grab 2 plates from the tray and pass 1 to my wife and 1 to my son. He grabs one with his hands and starts in. " Nothing for you sir?" The attendant asked with a raised eyebrow. "No thank you" I shake my head no. "I'm not much a breakfast person." The attendant quickly places the 3rd plate on my tray, and places his hand on my shoulder. "Sir, I must insist. Space travel is very hard on a body. You will need all the energy you can get." I send him a half-irritated glance and begin to pick up my plate to give back to him. "Really, I don't wa.." "SLAM!" The attendant sticks his pointer finger through the stack of cakes, forcing the plate back down to the tray. I sit there for a moment in shock, staring at his finger which remains in my breakfast for another 5 seconds. I notice he's wearing black gloves, like doctor's gloves. I look up at him before him removes his finger. He tilts his head, and with a concerned smile he leans in closer and whispers, "Sir, I must insist. You must eat. You need your strength." He pauses for a moment. The smile leaves his face. His eyes are locked on mine and he whispers a final plea. "Please eat sir...Your life depends on it."

The attendant leaves through the door to the front. I look at my wife. She is noticeably concerned. I know she didn't hear what the attendant said under his breath. "What was that about?" she asks. "I have no idea" I reply. I know I need to to make her feel at ease. "But, I guess they know what's best for us." I reach over and grab her hand. "Breakfast is the most important meal they say." I force a smile in an attempt to make light of the moment. "I guess that holds true in space."

While my wife and I talked, our son had finished his pancakes and used our shifted focus as an opportunity to steal a cake from my plate. "Hey buddy, you must be a hungry boy!" He nods in agreement and smiles.

I sit back in my seat and force myself to eat the breakfast. There is a side of fruit salad and a glass of orange juice. I look back over at my wife as I start on the final pancake. "Sure could use a cup of coffee about right now" I say to her. She's relaxed a bit and I feel good about that. I look at my son. He's got syrup all over his face. I grin and turn to my plate to take the last couple bites. As I make my final cut with my fork, something on the bottom of plate grabs my attention. I eat the last bit and slowly scrape away the crumbs and the syrup. It's hard to see, so I grab my napkin and wipe the plate clean. Written on the white plate with black permanent marker are the words: "THE TOY AT 10".

I stare at the words trying to figure out what they mean. "All finished I see!" I jump. The attendant yanks the plate from me and the takes the plates from my son and wife. "I hope you enjoyed your breakfast." He grabs glasses and quickly leaves again to the front. I didn't say anything to him in reply. I was too confused by the message on the plate. "THE TOY AT 10." I wonder to myself "What the hell does that mean?" My wife didn't see the message. I don't want to worry her anymore so I keep it to myself for now.

"Look Daddy!" My son hands me the Etch-a-Sketch again to show my his newest creation. "Good job Buddy." I pat his head and give it back. My wife looks at our son, who's happily playing and then looks back at me and says "I really don't know how we're going to keep him occupied on this trip. She pauses then taps on the Etch-a-Sketch, "I sure am glad he gave us this toy."

April 15 , 2036

After breakfast, nothing significant happened yesterday. The attendant served us our lunch while we watched a classic movie - "The Martian."

We spent some time looking out the windows. The stars appear very bright out here, especially when the cabin lights are dimmed. It is truly an amazing sight. While my son took his afternoon nap, my wife and I reminisced about our lives before his birth, and then our lives after. We talked about what we would miss the most about home. We agreed It was the park by our house. Really it was taking our son to that park. It was a wonderland to him and watching him play there was nothing short of magic.

We ate pizza for dinner. It was AMAZING! Really, all the food has been. My wife and son fell asleep by 9:00 pm watching another movie, Wall-E.

I was tired, but I couldn't sleep. Too many thoughts keeping me awake. I took the small box out of my pocket and turned it over and over, trying to figure out what the hell it was and why I my father-in-law gave it to me before he left us on the launchpad that day.

"You must have so many questions." I looked up to find the attendant standing in the aisle. His hands were behind his back as if he was ready to take a food order. I shook my head and sighed, then looked back down at the box. "I wish I knew what this thing was." I briefly glanced back up at the attendant, hoping he might lend a clue. He shot me an empathetic look and stayed silent. I continued on. "I wish my wife's parents could have come with us." My eyes began to well as I stood up slowly and motioned toward the open space in the room. "Look at all this open space." I looked back at the attendant and locked eyes for a moment. "We had room to take them with us." The attendant remained motionless and speechless. I sat back down and put my head in my hands. There was silence for another minute.

"Did you know that your mother-in-law was a chemist?" I looked up at him, wiping away a tear. "Yes. I mean, I knew she studied chemistry in college in Germany, but I don't think she did much with it after that." He grinned at me and placed his hand on my shoulder. "Son, I think you'd be surprised." He patted me twice on the shoulder then walked away into the next room.

"Son?" I whispered to myself. Who the hell is this guy? I kept an eye on the door to the next room for a couple minutes thinking the attendant might come back through, but he didn't. Finally, I grew tired. I lied back in my chair and pressed the recline button to move it into sleep position. As the chair flattened I looked over at my son sleeping there between me and my wife. He was clutching the Etch-a-Sketch like a teddy bear. I gently removed it from his arms and went to place it on the floor....

Suddenly, the white knobs starting moving. Very, very quickly. Back and forth. It startled me and I nearly dropped the device. I watched in amazement as the toy produced perfect letters. My heart pounded as I watched the letters form words. Those words formed a message.

The message was an answer to another question I held in my heart. A question that had haunted me since our last few days on Earth. Since we watched the mysterious video of Etsuko on Mars.

The toy repeated the message 3 times. My lips formed the words as I read them to myself:

_________________________
|THE BOX IS THE BOMB|
|THE BOX IS THE BOMB|
|THE BOX IS THE BOMB|
-----------------------------------

As I lowered the toy to my lap the monitor on the front wall came into view. It displayed just 1 thing - the current time: (10:01)

April 16, 2036

I woke up this morning to find the Etch-a-Sketch still laying in my lap. It was blank now. I turned the knobs to see it would still work. It did. I shook it to make it blank once again and slid it under my seat. I wondered if the toy would have more secrets to share tonight.

I looked over and my wife and my son. They were still asleep. I stood up and walked over to the window and looked out. It was dark. It is always dark. The sun is behind us. It's dark everywhere with the exception of the stars. I stared at them for a few minutes. Then something streaked across my view. It wasn't moving fast like a meteor. It was moving more like a satellite. I had a flashback to the night last week that I got drunk. The night I lied on my front lawn after finding that townie bar. I remember looking up at the clear night sky. I laid there for an hour that night and not a single satellite passed over me. It was the strangest thing. I backed away from the window.

"EXCUSE ME SIR!!" I jumped and turned to find the attendant standing behind me, guarding a cup that I almost caused him to spill. "Sorry" I said to him as he offered the cup to me. "I thought you might like some coffee this morning" he replied with a sincere grin. "Yes, I'd love some. Thank you." I lowered my nose to the cup and took a big whiff and then a big drink. "This tastes wonderful" I said with an appreciative smile. He nodded in acknowledgement. "We're glad you like it."

As I drank my coffee it made me feel a little more at home to once again have this important piece of our old morning routine. "You appeared to be in deep thought a moment ago." He put his hand on my shoulder as if to comfort me. " I understand that you have a lot of questions. Why don't you ask me one and I'll do my best to give you an answer?" I lowered my coffee and my eyes as I tried to focus on a question I felt needed answered. I thought about Etsuko. I thought about my Mother and Father-In Law. I thought about the toy, and the box. I thought about the black gloves the attendant wore. He's still wearing them. I remembered that just yesterday I asked him some of these same questions, to which he stayed silent.

Then I thought of what I really wanted to ask right now. The thing that had been on my mind 1 week ago. I looked up at the man. "What happened to all the satellites?" The attendant smiled and nodded, indicating his approval of my choice of question. "Are you familiar with the Kessler Effect?" I shook my head and said "No, I'm not." He continued "There were more than 15,000 satellites and various man-made objects orbiting Earth. If someone or something could force a collision with just 1 of the large objects orbiting Earth, such as the International Space Station, the debris from that collision would be large enough and widely scattered enough that it would set off a chain reaction." I shrugged to show that I didn't understand. "What kind of chain reaction?" I asked. He leaned in closer. "The kind of chain reaction that wiped out every satellite orbiting Earth within days." I stared at him wide-eyed. "But, who would do that? I mean, what would be the point of destroying all the satellites just days before the asteroid hit Earth and killed everything and everyone who even used the damn things?"

"Daddy, I'm hungry" I looked over at my son stretching his arms as part of wise wake-up routine. Next to him my wife slowly opened her eyes as well. "Ok buddy" I said to him. "We'll have some breakfast soon." I looked back at the attendant. He could see that I wanted to continue this inquiry. Again he put his hand on my shoulder and spoke softly. "We'll have time for the rest of your questions before we reach Mars." Frustrated, I closed my eyes and shook my head in agreement. The attendant walked over to the my son "What would like for breakfast this morning?" Without hesitation he replied "Waffles!" The attendant smiled and said "I'll see what we can do." He walked to the front of the room and passed through the doors to the next area.

We saw the attendant just twice more today. At lunch and at supper. The food was excellent. It's hard to believe that meals this good can be prepared in spaces. We watched another movie after supper, called Gravity. It was one of the few classic space movies I hadn't seen yet. As it normally happens, my wife and son drifted off to sleep before the movie ended.

The movie ended at 9:45pm. I was tired, but needed to stay awake. I couldn't miss a chance for another message . I grabbed the Etch-a-Sketch from under my seat and held it in my hands. I alternated my gaze between the digital screen which displayed the current time and the off-white, blank screen of the toy. 9:59 - My heart pounded and my hands trembled as i gripped the device. I looked up just in time to see the display turn to the next minute. 10:00PM. Immediately the white dials started moving. Just like last night the words formed quickly. And just like before, the words spelled a simple phrase in triplicate. As I read the words on the red and white box, my heart sank. I now had even more reason to believe that this trip was more than just a simple one-way ticket for me and my fortunate family. I now had a reason to worry about someone else's role in this mission. Someone who couldn't possible understand any of this.


|THE BOY IS THE KEY|
|THE BOY IS THE KEY|
|THE BOY IS THE KEY|
-------------------------------

April 17, 2036 - 6 Days To Mars

"She is an expert in growing things in places they weren't meant to be grown." I snapped awake. I looked first at the display. It was 6 AM. I rubbed my eyes and slowly turned to find the attendant stooped over next to me, whispering. I wasn't sure if I was actually awake or if this was a dream.

"What are you talking about?" I whispered back in reply, still wiping the sleep from my eyes. Then I looked over at my wife. She was still asleep, as was my son. The attendant tapped me on the shoulder. "Your Mother-In-Law. You knew she was a chemist when she was young. It is time you knew more about her, and her role in the fight for human survival."

I sat my chair up from the flat, sleeping position. "Her role?" I replied loudly. The attendant place his finger over his mouth to shush me. "Come with me." He motioned for me to follow. I stood up from my chair and walked with him to the window. We gazed out into space for a moment, then he faced me, and continued. "Many years ago, when you wife's mother was in college in Germany, a large meteorite was discovered near her hometown of Stuttgart. It landed in a farmer's field, but it was kept under wraps. The German government seized the meteorite and moved it to a secret location. The public never knew of its existence."

I shook my and shrugged "So what?" The attendant moved closer and tilted his head to show me his words were important. "Your mother-in-law was doing an internship for the German department of agriculture. She was stationed in the same building that they moved the meteorite to. The government was worried that the rock could be dangerously radioactive, but they wanted to study it." He paused. "Who better to do this dangerous work than an eager intern?"

Again I shook my head. I still didn't see the point of the story. "What does all this have to do with the fight for human survival? " I asked. He continued "You mother-in-law was tasked with measuring the chemical composition of the meteorite. For months she ran tests on the rock as ordered. Then one day, a man appeared who she had never seen. Her boss called her into an office and her next job was explained. The man was an astronomer from the United States named Roy Tucker. He and his colleagues had just made a discovery." The attendant paused again. "They made a terrifying discovery." My head dropped and I muttered what I knew was the name of this discovery. "Apophis." The attendant nodded slowly in confirmation.

I stood silently for a moment, looking out the window at the stars. Then I started again. "I still don't understand the connection. I mean, a chemist couldn't have done anything to stop Apophis." Again the attendant placed his hand on my shoulder. He spoke slowly. "No, son. A chemist could not stop the asteroid. But, a chemist was indeed needed to save the human race." I looked up at him, waiting for the rest of the story.

"Tucker shared his discovery with NASA. They ran programs on Apophis' orbit through our solar system. They ran thousands of simulations. One month later, a call was made to the President of the United States. They told the President that an asteroid would hit Earth, on April 13, 2036. The President asked NASA if they could be wrong. He asked, "what was the percent likeliness that there could be a mistake." They simply answered, "Zero, Mr. President. Zero Percent. This asteroid, Apophis, will strike the Earth. It will mean the end of all life. There is nothing we can do to stop it."

I shuddered as I imagined how it must have felt to receive that phone call. The burden it must have been to keep the information from the public in an attempt to salvage our humanity in Earth's remaining years.

I snapped out it after a few moments. I still didn't have the answer to my question. I felt a bit annoyed. I wanted him to get to the point. "What did my mother-in-law, a chemist, have to do with the fate of the human race?"

He smiled, gently. "After all denial had faded, the governments of the largest nations gathered together to devise a plan to ensure the survival of the humans. Earth would be destroyed. We needed to find a new home. It wasn't long before we decided on Mars. It had the best climate. The best chance for water." He paused again. "It was our best chance for survival." I nodded in acceptance. "We believed that we could create oxygen forever. We believed we could produce water forever. We did not know what we would do for food. We knew we had to be able to grow our own food or we would starve. But, how could we possibly test growing food on the red planet? Well, that is where your mother-in-law comes in." I raised my head when he said my name. "Travis, the meteorite your mother-in-law was studying in Germany was from Mars." My eyes grew wide as my attention focused. "She ground pieces of that Martian rock into a soil and figured out a way to grow food on it. It was thought to be impossible, but she did it."

I stepped back. I was baffled. "That's,...it's....." The attendant finished my comment. "It's Amazing!" I nodded. "Yes, it's amazing." He smiled back. "It's also how they got you a ticket on this rocket." He paused, trying to gauge my emotions. "Not only was your mother-in-law smart enough to grow food on Martian soil, but she was smart enough to negotiate 2 tickets to the red planet as a reward for her efforts. She was the first confirmed passenger. Followed shortly of course by her good friend and college roommate. An exchange student from Japan. You might have heard of her. Her name was Etsuko.

My wife and son woke up just then. We ate good food and watched some movies like the other days. They fell asleep by 9:00 PM.

I waited up until 10 PM. I grabbed the Etch-a-Sketch from under my seat. But, 10:00 came and went and nothing appeared on the toy. I watched the display as the clock advanced to 10:01, then 10:02. I wondered if the messages were finished. Maybe the device is broken. I have so many more questions.

Tears welled in my eyes as I recalled the amazing gift given by my Mother-In-Law. She had the most valuable item on the planet, and she gave it to us. She saved us. The tears flowed quickly now.

Frustrated, I clutched the toy, brought it up to my lips and whispered, as if someone was listening, "Why didn't you come with us? There was room! Why did you choose to stay on Earth, and die?"

I lowered the Etch-a-Sketch to my lap and wiped my eyes. Just then, the white dials started their familiar, fast movement. Within a few seconds, a new message was drafted. The tears reappeared as I read the triplicate note.

------------------------------
|WE ARE STILL ALIVE|
|WE ARE STILL ALIVE|
|WE ARE STILL ALIVE|
-------------------------------

Someone IS listening.

April 18, 2036 - 5 Days To Mars

There are beams of high-energy radiation that come from outside our solar system. They are called "cosmic rays." On Earth, the atmosphere protected us from this radiation. But In space, even in this rocket, the radiation beams move through you. When my eyes are open, I can't see them. But, when I close my eyes, I can see them. They appear as flashes of light. Like quickly passing streetlights. I wonder if these rays are killing me. At a minimum, they keep me from sleeping. As if I needed something else to worry about.

"Daddy!"

I feel a little hand on my arm, pinching me. "Daddy, wake up!" I opened my eyes and turn my head to the seat next to me. My wife is still asleep. My son had climbed over and sat down on her lap. "Look what I drawed!" He was holding the Etch-a-Sketch. I smiled at him and looked at his drawing, ready to tell him how great his scribbles looked. Then my eyes grew wide. There was indeed something on the screen, but it wasn't drawn by my boy. It was the message from last night. It didn't get erased. I read the words again, slowly; "WE ARE STILL ALIVE"

"Hey buddy, I need to see your toy." I snatched the toy from my son. "MINE!" He let out a yelp, waking up my wife. She kissed him and he calmed down. "Are those words on that thing?" I quickly moved the toy to my other side and shook it to erase the text. I didn't want her to see the message. I knew what she would think. I hadn't told her about the other messages. I needed her to stay calm for my son, and for me. "What the hell?" My wife was annoyed. She thought I had erased some precious artwork done by our 3-year-old. "The damn thing is broken!" I said in a disappointed tone. I could tell she was confused. "Here you go, buddy." I handed the toy back to my son and patted his head. "Now draw your Mommy a masterpiece!" My trick worked. My boy was happy, and my wife refocused her attention to his little hands working the dials back and forth. I knew I had dodged a bullet.

A few minutes later my son had to go to the restroom. It was a tiny, but sufficient room, 10 feet behind our seats. "I'll take him." My wife said with a smile. " I have to go too." I stood up to let them by, and then sat back down. I waited until I heard the bathroom door close and then quickly grabbed the Etch-a-Sketch from my Wife's seat. I looked at the screen. It was blank, other than the lines my son had drawn, creating an "L" shape. I flipped it over and examined the underside carefully. It appeared perfectly normal. "Nothing," I whispered to myself. I'm not sure what I was expecting. I set the toy on my lap and closed my eyes for a moment, trying to relax. I wanted to keep it together for my family, but I needed to know the meaning of these messages. I took a couple slow, deep breaths to clear my head. I tried to think a happy thought. I focused on a memory from our wedding, on a beautiful, Carolina beach. I focused on the sound of waves. I focused on my wife, as she walked down the rose-petal aisle, escorted by her Father. I focused on the violin playing as we said our vows. My eyes began to well, then I fell asleep.

"OUCH!" I awoke to a sharp burning pain on my right leg, underneath the Etch-a-Sketch. I lifted up the toy and immediately dropped it again. "AAAAHHH!" I shouted at full volume. It was burning hot. It landed face-down on my wife's seat. She was still in the bathroom. I shook my hands to quelch the pain. I looked at my fingers. They were red, but not badly burned. I collected myself. I wanted to see if the device was broken, or melted. Carefully, with 1 finger, I quickly flipped the toy over like a hot piece of food. But, it didn't feel hot at all now. I tapped it with my finger a couple more times to make sure. It was cold - room temperature. I shook my head in disbelief. Then I drew my focus to the screen, which was upside down. Once again, there were words on the display. I picked up the toy and slowly turned it around while trying to read the new message. As I squared up the device, the message came into clear view. It was spelled out just once this time.

___________________________
| |
|THEY HAVE YOUR FAMILY|
|__________________________ |


"NO." The words fell out of my wide-open mouth. My heart sank. My breathing stopped. I threw the toy and jumped up from my seat. I banged on the door to the bathroom. "HONEY, ARE YOU IN THERE? ARE YOU OK?" I continued frantically banging on the door. No response. I grabbed the door handle and pulled. It was locked tight. I placed my feet on either side of the door and pulled with all my might. It broke free. The bathroom door swung open. I sprung to my feet and thrust my head in the doorway. There was nobody inside. Just a toilet, and a small sink.

I stood there, unblinking for several seconds, scanning the tiny room for any kind of clue. The stark-white lavatory offered none. 'NO." Again the words escaped my mouth. "NOOOO!" I slammed my first on the bathroom door and shouted loudly, now, wanting to be heard. I closed my eyes moment and took a couple of breaths. I opened my eyes again and allowed a sensible thought to arise. "They must be on this rocket." I scanned the bathroom a final time and slowly turned around to search the rest of the room. Then I felt a familiar piercing pain in my neck.

A second later I fell to my knees. I had once again been drugged, or tranquilized. I was overcome with emotion as sleep overtook me. I sobbed for my family. I fell the ground and turned my head just enough to see the Attendant kneeling over me. He grabbed the white box from my pocket and placed it in his gloved hand. He then whispered in my ear. "Thank you Travis. We now have everything we need to set all of humanity free."

He placed his fingers over my eyes to close them as one would with the deceased. I was too weak to open them again, but I could make out one final sentence before I went under.

"Bring me the boy"

April 19, 2036 - 4 Days To Mars

I open my eyes. It's bright. I'm outside and I'm lying on the ground. There is no grass. The ground is red and rocky. I sit up and rub my eyes. My surroundings come into focus. There are trees around me. There's a pond. I know this place. It's the park near our home. We took our son here almost every day. I scan the area. There is nobody else around. Where is my wife? Where is my son? How did I get here? Why is it so cold? ...."DADDY!" ... I jump to my feet and whip my head left and right, trying to locate my boy. In the distance, I spot the Grandpa statue. That's his favorite thing. He must be there! I run towards the Old Man sculpture. I stop when I hear his voice again. "DADDY!.....DADDY, FIND ME!!" He's calling to me louder now. I cup my hands and shout in reply "I'M COMING TO FIND YOU! DADDY'S COMING TO FIND YOU!" I run as fast as I can to his voice, but the faster I run the farther the statue appears. That's when I realized that I was not at the park - I was dreaming. It seemed so real. I had experienced lucid dreams before when I was a kid. If they were scary dreams, I could even end them on command. All I had to do was climb the highest object in the dream, then jump off. The moment before I hit the ground, I would wake up. "DADDY!....WHERE ARE YOU?" I knew I was dreaming. I knew I wasn't on Earth. I knew I was on a rocket, headed for Mars. And I knew that someone had taken my family from me. I had to get out of this dream. I looked around the park, trying to find an object high enough to jump from. There it was. The tornado slide at the playground. It's about 30 ft high. Perfect. I climbed to the top. "DADDY!....PLEASE FIND ME!" I looked down from the top of the slide. It now appeared as 100 ft drop now. I was terrifying. I called back to my son, "I'M COMING TO FIND YOU, BUDDY!"... I closed my eyes and jumped off the slide. The fall seemed to take minutes. I opened my eyes and was now falling at terminal velocity. I panicked and started waving my arms and legs wildly. The red ground was approaching quickly now. I thrust my hands in front of my body to absorb the crash. I screamed, "NOOOOOO!"

I woke up. It worked. I opened my eyes. It was dark. It was cold. I pinched myself. "Ouch". My dream was over, but I was still in a living nightmare. I had to find my family. I had to get them back.

April 20, 2036 - 3 Days To Mars

"Good morning, sir."

I opened my eyes to find the Attendant crouched next to me. He had a plate of food and a drink in his hands. "No!" I gasped as I pushed my body up and away from him until I found the opposite corner of the space. I was scared. The last time I encountered this man, he tranquilized me, took the box from me, and summoned for my son. I now had no doubt; the Attendant was not a friend to me.

"Please sir, relax, and take some food and water." He slowly shuffled closer to me. "You've been asleep for nearly 18 hours, and we're almost to our destination." He extended the plate to me. I shook my head "No" in defiance. "Sir, I need you to be well. We have a visitor arriving in 1 hour and they require your attendance and your full attention." The attendant grinned a little as if I should be happy about the news of a visitor.

"Where is my family?" I asked, and then waited, unblinking. The attendant paused for a moment before replying. "I assure you that your family is okay, sir. In fact, your wife is just now eating dinner. Your son is sitting right next to her, playing with that old toy." He made a gesture toward a dimly lit panel as if to hint that my wife and son were just on the other side of it. Though I didn't trust him, I was happy to hear these words.

"I want to see them, now!" I pointed in the same direction the attendant gestured, then I too paused. "Please." The word barely escaped my trembling lips while I tried to hold it together. "Of course, sir" The attendant replied, again softly smiling. "As soon as you eat, I will take you to them." I stared at the man for several seconds. Neither of us broke the gaze. I felt my only choice was to do what he said. Without saying another word I grabbed the plate from his still outstretched hand, picked up the fork and started eating the food. It was spaghetti. I finished the food without breaking eye contact. "Good." Said the man. "Now drink this." The attendant sat a steel tumbler next to me. I drank it down in a few large gulps, then slammed the cup down in front of him. "Now, take me to see my wife and my son." The attendant nodded and gestured again toward the panel. "Follow me."

I watched the attendant move toward the location of the panel. He pressed a few buttons on a keypad, and the panel slid to the right, exposing a flood of light. He made a motion for me to follow him. I crawled after him, squinting more and more as I approached the bright opening. I placed my hands on both sides of the panel door and moved my head into the area. It took a moment for my eyes to focus and when they did I found myself peering into a bathroom. I looked left and right quickly and determined that this was indeed the same bathroom where I last knew my wife and child to be before I was drugged, and went unconscious. I crawled out through the small opening and stood up for just a moment when the room started to spin. I was going to faint. The attendant guided me to sit onto the toilet. The then applied a cold washcloth to my head. I held its place and kept my eyes closed. "The effects of the last tranquilizer haven't completely worn off, it appears." I thought it was strange for him to talk about this frankly. He continued. "The dose was much stronger than the first time so it's not surprising." The room stopped spinning a bit and I slowly removed the cold cloth and lifted my head. "Please, let me see them." The attendant opened the bathroom door.

"DADDY!! DADDY!!" Tears instantly fell from my eyes as I stepped out of the room and saw my son running towards me. He jumped into my arms and I hugged him tightly and kissed his forehead, at the same time checking him for any apparent injury. There was none. He was okay. I then felt someone else's arms around me. "Travis!" My wife let out a happy sigh as she kissed me on my cheek. I stepped back just enough to evaluate her well being. She was also uninjured. I pulled her into me and wept as I embraced my family in a minute-long hug. "I was so worried" I cried to my wife. "It's Ok, sweetheart." My wife replied. "We're Okay." I lifted my head to look upon my family again. To make sure it wasn't another dream. "Down, Daddy!" My son performed his standard shimmy when he is sick of being held or has something better to do at ground-level than to be hugged by me. I smiled and let him down gently. I knew now that this wasn't a dream. He skipped back to his seat, picked up the Etch-a-Sketch, and continued his drawing.

I looked again at my wife, still hugging me. She seemed to be at ease as if she knew all the answers. I took a step back so that I could focus on her face and said "What happened? Where have you been? What the hell is going on?". Before she could get a word out in reply, another voice trumped in. The voice caused me to shudder as if spoken by a ghost. "We can explain everything, son." I turned my head to find 2 figures standing near the front of the room. Part of my vision had been blocked by tears. Part of it had been blocked by the attendant. I simply didn't notice them standing in front of the room this entire time. My hands release from my wife's arms and dropped to my side. I once again wondered if I was dreaming. I took two steps towards the person who spoke. She then took 2 steps toward me. I looked back at my wife, seeking confirmation of this reality. Tears flowed from her face, half smiling as she nodded in affirmative. I took 2 more steps, reached out, and grasped the arm of this visitor, who in turn, immediately pulled me close, and hugged me. I stood there, motionless, arms at my side. I was paralyzed by emotion. The woman released me from her greeting and took a step back to better address me, eye-to-eye. "Travis," she said, wiping the tears first from her eyes, and then from mine "We have so much to discuss." I stared at her for another 10 seconds until my arms wrapped her in a hug. There was no doubt now that the person in front of me was anyone but a real, live human. There was no doubt that I was not again dreaming. There was no doubt who this person was, as her next words came out in a German accent. "Travis, It's me. I'm Okay. You're Family is Okay. But, now we have important work today. Now, we are going to Save Humanity."

As I hugged my wife's mother as final acceptance of her existence, the other new person in the room came into my view. She too appeared familiar, but from a more distant past. She was wearing a uniform of some sort. Just as I turned to further evaluate her, she extended her hand in an introduction "Hello, Travis. I am an old family friend. I am here to help you and your family on this new, and most important mission." I reached out and accepted the handshake. She smiled at me confidently "My name is Etsuko Shimabukuro. But, you can call me Chef."

April 21, 2036 - 2 Days To Mars

SpaceX wasn't the only company in the Martian Colonization Business. Blue Origin started launching their rockets about the same time as SpaceX, but they had a different mission in mind. The owner of Blue Origin, Jeff Bezos, offered low-earth-orbit flights to well-heeled clients. It was the ULTIMATE experience for the person who had "everything." SpaceX seemed to focus on more humanitarian initiatives.

In 2020, Covid19 became part of our world. We learned a lot as a civilization. We made a lot of mistakes, and there were many casualties, but the human race survived. That Pandemic reshaped healthcare, politics, religion, and our view of what was "safe." The inventions born to combat that virus gave us back our world. The support for vaccines and distribution increased 100X, thanks to global, private and public funding. In 2021, a company called Ellume created a system that enabled everyone with a mobile device to perform a self virus test. Within 30 seconds, you knew if you were infected or not, and then you were given care instructions, including a prescription if applicable. Also In 2021, VSLS was created to track and treat most viruses. The "Virus Swarm Learning System" integrated natively into Ellume. The results were near-realtime virus tracking across the globe and go-to-market vaccine iterations that saved millions of lives. Again, we felt "safe."

SpaceX also had a big role to play in the success of VSLS. At the height of the 2020 Corona outbreak, StarLink shifted nearly all of its resources to support the creation of the swarm learning system. Soon, the entire system was running on StarLink. Then, in 2021, StarLink became available to its original purpose, free or low-cost high-speed internet, for anyone, anywhere in the world.

At first, both SpaceX and Blue Origin were working with NASA to colonize Mars. In fact, the first launch was supposed to a split-screen experience, where everyone could watch both companies launch their rockets simultaneously. We were never officially made aware as to what had happened, but just before the countdown began, Blue Origin scrubbed their launch. The SpaceX rocket blasted off on schedule. And even without its counterpart, it was the most glorious event most of us had ever encountered! The ascension was accompanied by an aggregate cheer so riotous, seismologists around the world recorded the event. It was as if a hundred tiny earthquakes occurred around the world, in synchrony. Of course, there were several cameras on the ground televising the launch. But this time, there were also cameras in the cockpit. For the first minute, They switched views between the exterior of the rocket, the interior of the crew, and a first-person view, looking out from the Captain's chair position. We truly had the front-row seat we'd been waiting for! Throughout all of this, our displays still showed the split-screen. On the left, the SpaceX rocket making history, and, on the right, the Blue Origin ship, bound to the ground.

Regardless of their intent, it was amazing to watch the 2 Billionaires compete with each other in the race to Space Majesty. Of course, like all races, there is a there must be a loser. Of course, Bezos and many of his colleagues are now living on Mars, so I guess it didn't turn out too bad for them.

There were supposedly 12,000 StarLink Satellites orbiting the globe. They called it a "Constellation." I always loved that.

Suddenly, I'm brought back to that night just 10 days ago or so. I was still on Earth. I went to that old bar and drank too much and ate a $500 steak. I stumbled home and lied on my front lawn. I gazed at the stars. There were no satellites in the sky that night. It's still so strange to me.

That was just 10 days ago. When everyone I knew and loved was still alive. When my home was more than a molten field of destruction and death.

I recalled my conversation with the Attendant when he hinted at the seemingly purposeful destruction of the satellite constellation. I was interrupted before I could ask any more about it. "Well," I whispered to myself while stepping back from the window, " I guess I'll add that to my list of questions." My wife gently pulled me back away from the window. I let my gaze stay fixed for another moment out the window. The stars are so bright. Earth is so far away. I wipe the tear from my eye. Before I turn around, something in at the window catches my eye. It was like a flicker. I focused back on the window and rubbed my eyes. I opened them again stared intently at the window.

Another flicker.

"What the hell?" I said, shaking my head. I was very tired and very stressed, and space travel does weird things to the body. Was this just another unfiltered radiation blast from deep space, messing with my brain? I starred for another minute. Nothing. Just space.

"I'm losing it," I think to myself.

"I need to sleep," I say to my wife. She nods in agreement and ushers me to my chair. My son is sitting down too, playing with the Etch-a-sketch. He reaches for me with tired eyes "Daddy". I pick him up and set him on my lap and recline my chair. My wife gives me a drink of water and says "rest sweetie." I lay my head back and watch my wife join her mother and Etsuko on the far side of the room. The Attendant is standing nearby, hands behind his back, looking ready to take an order.

Etsuko walks up to me with a soft smile. "Sleep now, Travis." She places her hand on my son's head. "There is much to discuss in the next 24 hours." My eyes are drawn to a tattoo on her wrist that I hadn't noticed before. It looks like some kind of old symbolic art. Like Aztec or Egyptian or at least something very old. It looks like some kind of bird with a moon behind it. Ah, yes," says Etsuko, realizing that I've noticed this patch. She taps it. "Do you know what this is?" she asks. I shake my head "no." My son is now sleeping on my chest so she leans in to whisper, "This patch is worn by those who wish for the survival of the human race." She smiles again and takes a step back. "The leader of our group is a man named Chance Wesley. He he very anxious to meet you, Travis" She gently takes the Etch-a-Sketch dangling from my sleeping boy's hand. "This was his creation." My eyes widen in amazement. Etsuko smiles again, "And I believe you are well acquainted with another one of his creations." She motions to the Attendant, who has heard what she's said. She motions for him to approach. "Show him." She placed her hand on his glove. The attendant looks at her for confirmation. She nods in approval. One finger at a time, the Attendant slowly removes this left glove, revealing the intricate metalwork beneath. I shudder. Etsuko motions to the Attendant again, who returns the glove to his bionic hand and then walks back to the other side of the room.

I look down at the floor to try to concentrate. Then, after a long pause, I look back up at Etsuko and ask "Does this mean?, " I pause again because I want to be direct. Trembling, I perfect the most burning question on my mind, "Does this mean there are those who do not want us to survive?" Etsuko's smile changed to a tight-lipped frown. She pats my hand, and then gently places her hand on my son's head. "Sleep now, my boys. We have only 2 days to prepare."

April 22, 2036 - 1 Day To Mars

“Look, we’re nearly there.” Etsuko motioned for us to approach her and view outside of the window. Staring out the window of the Starship, we could see the red planet come into view.

There it was - Mars. It looked just like the images from my old telescope as a child, but now it appeared as big as the moon from Earth. It was beautiful and it was terrifying.

“Dadda, I see?” I smile and lift my son so that he too can take in the sight. He points at the red planet and says “Ohhh.” He quickly loses interest. I lower him and he runs to his Mother.

Etsuko and my Mother-In-Law move next to me. “It’s time we answer your questions, Travis.” Etusko says. I nod in agreement. “What do you want to know first?” I stare out the window and while deciding which of the many questions I want answered.

"Why am I here? I mean, why was I chosen to bring this "thing" to Mars?" I pull the white box from my pocket.

Etsuko replies "My boy, there are many things that have been kept a secret since Apophis' discovery."

"Like what?" I reply a bit more softly.

Etsuko leans in with a concerned look on her face. "Travis, there is indeed someone who does not wish to see humanity carry on. It is a woman who goes by the name "Miriam." She claims to be a prophet. For years she has worked on the Martian colonization project as a computer engineer. She wrote a virus and has now taken control of the colonies central support systems, including the habitats and food storage facilities. Miriam believes that god sent the asteroid Apophis to cleanse mankind. To her, leaving Earth to colonize Mars was akin to running from god's will. It was the ulitmate, unforgivable sin. She belives that it is her duty to finish what god has started. She has disabled the food storage power systems months ago. It has all been destroyed. There are rations in all of the habitats, but they are nearly depleted as well. Everyone will starve, and Miriam will fulfill her destiny.

Noticing the look of terror on my face, Etsuko smiles at me and grabs me by both shoulders "Travis, this is why you're here. This is why you've been given the white box. That box is the key to saving humanity. We merely need to open it. Inside is a biometric scanner. It will read your eye, and grant you override access to the entire Martian support network, effectivlely taking control back from Miriam. Then, from this craft, we'll be able to restore power to the food supply facilities and everything will be ok!"

"Great! Let's do it now!" I fumble with the box, trying to figure out how to get it to open.

"Wait!" Etsuko places her and over mine. "We're too far away for the box to work. We will be in range tomorrow morning." I place the box back in my pocket.

"Ok." I say with a sigh. Etsuko ushers me and my family back to our seats. "Rest now. We have important work tomorrow." I hug my son and my wife. I'm tired, and I start to fall alseep. I see Etsuko looking at some charts on the display.

“What about the flicker?” I ask her, more loudly than I intended. Etsuko turns back to look at me. "You said you'd explain the flicker I see on the window. She laughs lightly. “Ah, yes, the flicker happens every time we pass one of the RA devices.” I shot he a confused look and repeated as a question “Satellites?” She smiled and again approached me. “Allow me to show you.” She walks up to a small control panel and presses a few buttons. Then she looks up at the display on the wall and says, “Starship, show me the current configuration of the RA constellation.” The screen blinks and then displays a sort of map. Earth on the left side and Mars on the right. Between them are hundreds of tiny dots lined up. Etsuko traces the dots from Earth to Mars with her finger. “This is the Mars Highway. And these dots represent the Starlink devices that makeup that Highway.”

“Starlink?” I reply. “You mean the Starlink satellites that we get our internet from?” Etsuko nods in affirmative. “Let me explain.” She puts her hand on my shoulder so that I’ll sit down, and then she sits beside me. “Like SpaceX, Starlink was created for a bigger purpose than was advertised. And though thousands of Starlink devices have been orbiting the Earth for more than a decade, thousands more have been placed on a different journey entirely.” She pointed at the display again and made the tracing motion from Earth to Mars. “These aren’t just Satellites. They have been equipped photonic propulsion devices.” My eyes widen and I reply “Lasers?” Again, she nods. “Yes, the lasers can propel an object in space to speeds much greater than our other current rocket propulsion methods.” I nod slowly to indicate that I understood, sort of. I reply “So, that’s how we got to Mars in 12 days?” “That’s correct” says Etsuko. “How fast have we been going?” I ask. She smiles and says “Well, at top speed, nearly 500,000 MPH, or about .1% of the speed of light.”
I shake my head in disbelief.

“How does it work?" I ask. Etsuko laughs and says “It simple really, the lasers on the Starlink crafts are pointed at the large solar sails on this Starship. The photons impact the sails, nudging the ship a bit faster forward as it passes each member of the constellation. However, we must also slow down. So, for the first half of the journey the lasers are aimed at the rear of our sail to speed us up, and then they are pointed at the front of the sail during the last half.” I grin and say “Unbelievable. I did not think there could be enough Starlink satellites to make a system like this work. It seems like there would have to be so many more than 15,000 of them. I mean, it’s 50 Million miles from Earth to Mars! How can this work?” Again, Etsuko puts her hand on my shoulder to calm me. “Travis, there aren’t just 15,000 Starlink Satellites. There are closer to 500,000 of them. Each one is equipped with photonic propulsion laser systems to facilitate a rapid journey to Mars. They’ve been building them in secret and launching them all over the world, for much longer than you were told. They have enabled you to travel to Mars very quickly."

Etsuko pauses and looks at me, proudly.

"They have enabled you to save humanity."

T - 24 Hours To Mars...
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